Venue refers to the county where a lawsuit should be properly filed and brought to trial. Each county in Missouri has its own separate Circuit and Associate Circuit Courts. The Associate Circuit Courts have jurisdiction to try cases where the amount in controversy is up to $25,000. Circuit Courts can hear all cases irrespective of the amount in controversy. The amount in controversy deals with the issue of jurisdiction between the Missouri circuit and Associate Circuit Courts. The county where the court is located deals with the issue of “venue.”
Prior to 2005, Missouri accident victims and their lawyers had a choice of different counties to file the lawsuit, being:
Under the above venue scheme, the victim had choices in where his or her personal injury case could be filed. If the defendant was a corporation, there were other rules that applied.
In 2005, Missouri law was changed and the above choices no longer exist.Missouri law now provides “venue” in all tort actions is in the county where the plaintiff or victim was first injured by the wrongful acts or negligence alleged.Past laws giving the choice of venue were swept away.Now, the plaintiff is considered first injured where the trauma or exposure first occurred rather than where the symptoms are first manifested.
While Missouri law does not now define “exposure”, the plain language definition of that term includes the “condition of being subject to financial loss,” as per Webster’s Dictionary. Simply put, now cases are filed where the accident occurred.
Our Personal Injury Attorneys have proudly collected TENS OF MILLIONS of dollars in compensation for clients. Below are some of our recent personal injury case results.
"Overall, I had a great experience working with The Bradley Law Firm!! I would recommend Ryan and his team to anyone. Being involved in a car accident can be quite stressful and dealing with insurance companies can be even more stressful. Having Ryan in my corner lifted a huge burden off my shoulders and made this process much easier for me. They handled everything. Tina is great…she is awesome! She’s extremely patient and kept me informed throughout the entire process. The Bradley Law Firm team is very personable, easy to talk to, and a pleasure to work with."
Our Personal Injury Attorneys have proudly collected TENS OF MILLIONS of dollars in compensation for clients.
It is our mission to ensure you receive a maximum recovery for all of your damages, to the fullest extent under the law.
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St. Louis Lawyer Disclaimer: The legal information offered herein by The Bradley Law Firm, is not formal legal advice, nor is it the formation of an attorney client relationship. In order for our firm to be considered your attorney there must be a signed agreement between the client and the firm. Any results set forth herein are based solely upon the circumstances of that particular case and offer no promise or guarantee upon the outcome of any other case. Please contact a lawyer for a consultation. This site is not intended to solicit clients outside the State of Missouri or Illinois. The Bradley Law Firm may co-counsel or associate with other law firms around the country at its discretion from initial intake through litigation when it deems appropriate.